Topic: Smallville Marathon #2

[DJ Doena]

Disc 3

Bound

Synopsis: Lex wakes up after a one night stand and finds her slain beside him. Naturally, Lex is the prime suspect but Clark starts an investigation of his own. And he has unexpected help in the form of Lionel who truly seems to have changed since the body-switch (from which he can't remember anything).

My Opinion: I liked the episode because Clark has to see what kind of character Lex is. Clark may have an influence on him but he also must not forget in what kind of environment Lex grew up. I also find it interesting how Clark's relationship both to Lex and Lionel is changing.

Scare

Synopsis: There's an accident at the LuthorCorp plant and a gas is released into the atmosphere. Soon after, people (with Jason being the first) start to collapse and are falling into a "panic mode" coma. Before they fall into that coma they see their worst fears come true. If the doctors and Lex can't stop it all will die when their hearts finally give up.

My Opinion: I always knew that Clark blamed himself for the death of Lana's parents. I just didn't know that he feared that she would, too. I also found the other insights interesting. The make-up of Chloe's mother scaringly reminded me of Heath Ledger's "Joker" make-up in the upcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight. I also found it fascinating that Lex has the same nightmare of what could become of him as the old lady in Hourglass.

Unsafe

Synopsis: Alicia has been released from Belle Reve and she is healed. Clark who hasn't stopped being very fond of her, goes out with her but then she does something very stupid and it involves the usage of red Kryptonite. Meanwhile Lana fears to lose Jason and offers him to bring their relationship to a more "adult level".

My Opinion: I still like Alicia, the episodes with her are very good because Clark can be different (even without red Kryptonite). He's way more open and it seems that the weight of the world is falling off his shoulders when he's around her.
The end was interesting for me in a different way: His parents are disappointed because for them marriage is still something very sacred. Maybe that still true in the real Kansas as well but it doesn't really reflect my reality of life where more couples get divorced than get married.

Pariah

Synopsis: Despite what has happened, Clark still cares for Alicia and he goes out with her (again). But them aside nobody is happy about it. Not his parents and certainly not Lana who was nearly killed by Alicia in the previous year. And then Lana is attacked again by someone who can enter and leave a locked room without being seen. Everyone suspects Alicia at once but Clark believes in her. Wouldn't it be easier for her if people knew what Clark can do and has done?

My Opinion: One of my favourite episodes! Chloe finds out and Clark doesn't even know it. I really like that scenario because it gives us a number of good episodes in this season. I like it how Chloe encourages Clark from now on.
Unfortunately Alicia is dead. I don't blame Clark that he began to doubt her, she was perfectly framed. Therefore I also liked the end fight including the fact that he nearly killed the guy if it hadn't been for Lois.
And now the key scene:

Disc 4

Recruit

Synopsis: Clark is about to get accepted to the Metropolis University football team and he gets a scholarship. But there's another player on the field who has an unfair advantage over his opponents. Meanwhile Lois is in serious trouble. After a drinking game she kicks a stalker to the ground but gets arrested the next day - the guy is paralyzed.

My Opinion: As I said, I love Chloe's remarks and her nodding him in the right direction. But that aside the episode was average, they've invented a FotW that said all the right things to make Clark drop football ("In high school it was ok but this is another world ...").
Even so, I found it funny that Lois would compete in a drinking game while wearing her pyjamas and (bunny?) slippers.

Krypto

Synopsis: Due to the previous events Lois has been kicked out of the Met U and lives on the Kent farm again. But one night she hits a dog with her car. This dog was stolen from a LuthorCorp lab and has enhanced abilities. It was used for robberies until Lois had hit it and his "owners" want him back.

My Opinion: This was a funny episode with Lois being back on the farm and a dog with superpowers. The dog was of course a hint to "Krypto the Superdog" from the Superman comics.

Sacred

Synopsis: Dr. Swann has died but before that he has returned the octagonal disc to Clark. When he enters it into the cave table his father tells him about the three mystical stones. One of them is already in Clark's possession (thanks to Kal-El) and no human must be allowed to put the three together. The map hidden under the page in Lex's office points to the third stone. Soon Jason, Lex, Clark, Lana and Isobel find themselves on the hunt for the stone - in China.

My Opinion: Plans within plans within plans. While I like the hide-and-seek I still don't like the fact that witchcraft is involved and that Isobal can cast a blade that is able to wound Clark. But Lana looked great in that chinese outfit.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 5

Lucy

Synopsis: Lois's younger sister Lucy calls in the middle of the night from Switzerland and heralds her in arrival in Smallville. But this isn't a happy family reunion since Lois and Lucy have never gotten along so well since the death of their mother. Additionally Lucy is followed by a loan shark whom she owns $50,000. Lois and Clark try to help her but she isn't completely honest with them.

My Opinion: Maybe I would care much about this episode and Lucy if I knew that we would see her again. But as far as my knowledge goes (to the first episodes of the seventh season) we will not see her again. Even though it wasn't a regular FotW episode it felt like one because of this one-time-character.

Onyx

Synopsis: During an experiment green Kryptonite is transformed into black Kryptonite and then the entire lab explodes. Somehow the black Kryptonite tears Lex apart into two seperate beings, one that has all his good aspects and one that is purely evil. Evil-Lex imprisons Good-Lex and does all the things Normal-Lex wouldn't do - or maybe he would?

My Opinion: It the classical Star Trek episode The Enemy Within, set in Smallville. But I liked it because Lex's evil side is actually in him. There are few characters that can believably do such a split and Lex Luthor is definitively such a character. I also liked the analogy to The Man in the Iron Mask, it fits into Lex's biography that this was one of his favourite books.

Spirit

Synopsis: Dawn Stiles is bound to become the Prom Queen. But then she drives her car down a ravine and falls into a coma - sort of. Her spirit wanders around until she lands herself into Martha's body and has control over it. From now on she switches bodies at will and tries to make her dream come true.

My Opinion: I loved to see Annette O'Toole as an adolescent teenager and the others were also great. I also liked the fact that Clark didn't ran headless into the fight (as he often does; granted often he has less time than Jack Bauer) but was prepared for the possibilty that Dawn would take over his body. It was also good that Chloe found out about his weakness, she will need that knowledge later.

Blank

Synopsis: A young man who has been treated at Summerholt Institute tries to clean out the register of the "Talon". When Clark tries to stop him, all his memories are erased and he has no clue,  who or what he is and what he can do. With Clark's parents being in Metroplis it's now Chloe's job to introduce him to his abilities and along the road she learns about some of them that she didn't know before.

My Opinion: One of my favourite episodes. It's so funny to see how Chloe teaches Clark about his own abilities. Especially funny was the scene when she learns that he has an X-Ray vision and she tries to cover her chest. But I also liked that she's learned that it isn't that easy to keep such a secret.

Disc 6

Ageless

Synopsis: Clark and Lana find a baby in a huge crater and they bring it to the Smallville Medical Center. Even though there wasn't a spaceship Clark believes that this child is special. He takes it with him to the farm and he and Lana care for it. But then it suddenly ages into a 7-year-old and it doesn't stop there. Lex tries to help them but only the biological father can prevent that this child dies within a few days.

My Opinion: Honestly: I loved to see Clark and Lana as parents. It was heart-warming. But I didn't like the part where he met his father. This part wasn't well written and a bad excuse for why he couldn't be saved. Don't get me wrong: I am not mad about the fact that he didn't survive, just about the part where (and how) his father died.

Forever

Synopsis: A high school graduate wants to "freeze time". He wasn't accepted to a college and in his mind everything should stay as it is just now. For this he captures Chloe, Lana and a few others and imprisons them in a "Smallville High" copy. But he leaves too many traces and soon Clark and Lois are on the search for their friends.

My Opinion: Some people have weird ideas. While there are days that I'd like to relive again I wouldn't give up the future for it. The porcelain effects were great, especially the one where Lois tries her karate kick. But it still was just an average FotW episode where the bad guy's abilities mysteriously turn against himself.

Commencement

Synopsis: Lana has been taken over by Isobel and kills Genevieve Teague with one of the stones. As Jor-El has warned his son this sets a chain reaction in motion. The first link of this chain is the second meteor shower over Smallville in 16 years and it wreaks havoc in the city. And the gang is scattered throughout the scenery: Clark tries to put the three rocks together, Lana sits in a helicopter and crashes, Jason tries to kill Martha and Jonathan and Lionel is in some sort of coma.

My Opinion: Another great finale. There's wasn't the smallest space for any more action in it. And finally that "Isobel" storyline is finished (although without a satisfying conclusion). Now I am really eager to watch the continuation - the cliffhanger has done its job.

The Season - My Opinion: Hmm. Sorry, but I couldn't make head nor tail out of this "Isobel" arc. What was the point of it? As suddenly as it arose as suddenly it vanished into nothingness. I am not entirely sure but apart from the mentioning of Jason that story will never come up again. Let's imply forget about it.
But this season had some extraodinary developments. For one, Chloe's discovery of Clark's secret and how she influenced him afterwards. But I also found it interesting to see that Lex has also feelings for Lana. The relationship will evolve over the next seasons. From an outside perspective it's interesting to see how simultaneously Clark and Lex drift apart and Lex and Lana get closer. I also liked to see how ambivalent Lionel behaves. It was never clear towards which goals his actions were directed.

[DJ Doena]

Season 5

Disc 1

Arrival

Synopsis: Accidentally Chloe has been transported to the Arctic where the united stones have just built the "Fortress of Solitude" for Clark. Clark is allowed to rescue her and to fight a new enemy that has arrived with the meteor shower but he has to return until sunset. Meanwhile Lana and Lex meet these newcomers.

My Opinion: Sure, they were lazy, but I still thought that it was too easy for Clark to get rid of those two(!) Kryptonians. I really would have liked a scenario where Lana wouldn't have been knocked out and would have witnessed the entire scene (with or without Clark's knowlegde). But maybe the writers thought it to be too soon to let yet another person in on Clark's secret.
I wonder - if this were for real - whether Chloe and Clark have recapitulated their past, unfolding all the events where only Clark knew the whole truth, or if he told her that she already knew his secret (Rush).

Mortal

Synopsis: Three patients can escape from Belle Reve and they take Lana, Martha and Jonathan hostage. They force Clark - who has lost his powers because he disobeyed his father - to break into LuthorCorp and steal an experimental Kryptonite-based drug. In the past this wouldn't have been much of a problem, but this time it turns out to be a good thing that he doesn't have his powers.

My Opinion: It's always funny to hear Clark saying, that he's not to keen with heights. I also liked the comparison of Pete and Chloe in their role as "sidekick".
But I also think, that the concept of "Belle Reve" and Lex's influence there is a bit of a plot hole. Lex may not believe one particular loony in there but if he really has spoken with a few of them and promised them something and they would have told him all the same story about Clark Kent's abilities (and there are quite a few in there that could tell such a story) then he wouldn't need to resort to such crude investigation methods - especially when he adds his own experiences with Clark.

Hidden

Synopsis: Clark is still human and he and Lana have slept together and are very happy. Can it get any better?
In 60 minutes Smallville gets nuked and Clark lies in the hospital, dying from a gunshot wound. Can it get any worse?

My Opinion: Lionel takes up the role of Jor-El. In a weird way, Lex and Clark are now actually brothers. This episode marks the climax (pun intended) of Clark's and Lana's relationship. From now on it will go downhill.
What's even more interesting about this episode, are the discussions on the internet about it. For example, people were seriously offended that he didn't tell her about his true nature before they were sleeping together, because he is an alien. There were sentences like "If Lana were my child I would want to know that she's sleeping with an alien.".

Aqua

Synopsis: Lois is back in Smallville and she moves back to the farm. On a warm sunny day she, Chloe, Lana and Clark go swimming in the Crater Lake. Suddenly Lois nearly drowns and gets rescued - by Arthur "AC" Curry. AC can swim fast, even faster than Clark. But his motive to be in Smallville is not to rescue drowning girls but to save the oceans from a terrible weapon, created by LuthorCorp.

My Opinion: After the events in Arrival Lex has gone into full defense mode. It's pretty ironic that he who wants to defend this planet from aliens will become the planet's greatest threat by the end of the season.
I really liked the appearance of "Aquaman" and the hints they implanted in the script, especially when AC proposes the foundation of a "Junior Lifeguard Association" and Clark replies that he isn't ready for the JLA yet.
And Tom seriously has to reshape his washboard abs, he looked pale in comparison to Alan Ritchson (AC) and he is supposed to be Superman.

[Tom]

I am not gay, but Tom seriously has to reshape his washboard abs

Ok, Ok. I will try my best 

[DJ Doena]

I am not gay, but Tom seriously has to reshape his washboard abs

Ok, Ok. I will try my best 

 

[DJ Doena]

Disc 2

Thirst

Synopsis: Lana tries to get into the "Tri Psi Sorority" at the Met U and gets accepted. But "Tri Psi" isn't like any other sorority anywhere and Clark and Chloe become concerned about their friend.

My Opinion: Great episode! I didn't really notice it before, but this episode was packed with cultural references, especially towards Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It begins with Chloe baptizing the head of the sorority as "Buffy Sanders". James Marsters (Spike in Buffy and Angel) declares in his role as Professor Fine that "there's no such thing as vampires". Then the "Daily Planet"'s editor (Carrie Fisher) calls her "Buffy the Vampire". And when Chloe starts as a reporter in the basement of the "Daily Planet", she declares that she will only go "up, up and away".

Exposed

Synopsis: Chloe investigates in a murder and Lois helps her with it. The trail leads to Senator Jennings who happens to be an old friend of Jonathan's. He claims that someone tries to frame him and not without good reason. Lex has just entered the race for the Senator's seat.

My Opinion: If the previous episode was a homage to Buffy, this one was definitively a homage to The Dukes of Hazzard. But I have to say that time has been more merciful to John Schneider (Bo Duke in TDoH) than to Tom Wopat (Luke Duke in TDoH).
I really liked this episode, too. Not only because of the references, but also because that entire scene in the night club. I don't know what I would have done in Clark's place.

Splinter

Synopsis: Clark cuts his finger on a fragment of silver Kryptonite. From now on he's being paranoid that people could reveal his secret and that all people around him will betray him. He attacks his parents, Lex and finally Lana and only Professor Fine seems to be able to stop him.

My Opinion: I like Marsters. He makes an excellent villain. I saw him here on Smallville for the first time. I knew he was Spike in Buffy but at this point I had no real interest in the show. But his acting here convinced me to give it a try.
His plot gave him the perfect foundation to gain Clark's trust. Well done. I also liked it how Clark mixed up real events and imagination during his exposure.

Solitude

Synopsis: Martha gets struck by something and Clark finds her unconscious on the driveway. Then she develops a weird bruise and Clark fears that his biological father has come to collect. In his fear that he might lose his mother he turns to Professor Fine who actually can help. But he can't stop the infection, just ease the pain. In order to prevent Martha's death Clark has to destroy the "Fortress of Solitude".

My Opinion: Fine played him perfectly. And if one wouldn't knew who Zod really is, who wouldn't believed Fine? We mustn't forget that Clark destroyed his own spaceship because there was a message that said he was sent here to rule this planet. Too bad that Fine's story has ended so soon (for now).
Funny thing is I just found out that the voice of Jor-El belongs to Terence Stamp. Ok, that I knew before now but the name didn't ring any bells until IMDb told me that he was General Zod in Superman II:



But everytime I hear the name "Zod" I cannot help it but to think of Mallrats:

[DJ Doena]

Disc 3

Lexmas

Synopsis: Lex gets shot while he was diiging up dirt on Jonathan Kent. While he's hanging between life and death he sees a possible future where he has left the old ways behind, he has married Lana and has two children with her. Wouldn't that be nice? But what if something would happen in that future that he only could have prevented with the powers he's had in his former life?

My Opinion: It was an interesting insight into Lex's mind. I don't assume that it was really his mother showing him anything, I believe it was his mind showing him his deepest wishes - and fears. But I also liked the "Santa Clark" part of the story even with the mysterious Santa - but hey, it's christmas!

Fanatic

Synopsis: Jonathan hires Lois as campaign manager to help him running for senate. But Lex is a formidable opponent and he has faithful followers. Even so faithful that they would stop at nothing to make sure Lex becomes Senator. Thus they try to threaten Jonathan and even kill them.
Meanwhile Lana and Clark have an argument again because both are keeping secrets and their relationship is getting nowhere.

My Opinion: That was an OK episode. I wasn't much interested in the assassination plot and it hurts me to see Lana and Clark breaking apart.

Lockdown

Synopsis: A former deputy takes Lex hostage - sort of. Lex can get into his panic room but he's stuck there. The deputy wants to know the location of the spaceship but Lex isn't giving up. But then he also captures Lana. He knows that she was there at the landing, because he was there, too. And now Lex has to make a choice.

My Opinion: I thought it was sad that the sheriff died, she was an interesting character. The actions in this episode will have great ramifications and they weren't even revealed here - I found that very interesting.

Reckoning

Synopsis: Clark decides that he can no longer lie to Lana. He reveals his secret. Everything, from his origins to the "Fortress of Solitude" and he asks her to marry him. Later that day she says yes and Jonathan wins the election. It's a great day, isn't it?

My Opinion: This is a very good and emotional episode. It's also another turning point for the show. Superman mythology demanded that sacrifice and from now on Clark has to make the decisions without his father's advice. It was sad to see John Schneider leave the show but at one point it had to come to this.

[Najemikon]

What's even more interesting about this episode, are the discussions on the internet about it. For example, people were seriously offended that he didn't tell her about his true nature before they were sleeping together, because he is an alien. There were sentences like "If Lana were my child I would want to know that she's sleeping with an alien.".

Everyday the Internet finds a new way to scare me! 

[DJ Doena]

Disc 4

Vengeance

Synopsis: Martha is bringing Jonathan's clothes to a shelter but then she's robbed and hurt. A female vigilante is saving her but the robbers can escape. Clark wants to go after them but for this he has to find that woman. He hopes that she can identify them.

My Opinion: A very good episode to show Clark what could become of him if he would "go to the dark side of the force". I liked it how they've used Superman references but didn't simply copy them, e.g. when her glasses aren't just disguise but without them she actually can't see much.

Tomb

Synopsis: After lightning has hit the "Talon" Chloe is possessed by a ghost that has her wrists cut open. She is brought to the hospital because everyone thinks it was a suicide attempt. Lana and Clark try to help her in different ways.

My Opinion: I am really glad that Clark kept his mouth shut. I would have hated to see an episode where he would have told someone about Chloe's mother in an attempt to help her and then see her accusing him because she kept his secret. Writers seem to love such dramas. But we have too much of them in Smallville already. Thus I am glad it turned out the way it did.

Cyborg

Synopsis: A man escapes from a lab and runs straight into Lana's car. The car is a wreck, Lana's is injured and the man has no scratch. He's a cyborg, "made" by LuthorCorp and he should have died in a car crash several months ago. Now he tries to find his girlfriend and to prevent from ever having to go back to that lab. Of course Clark is a big help in achieving those goals.

My Opinion: Interestingly this episode combines the previous episodes into one story. Victor (the cyborg) is of course another reflection of Clark's. And once again I am glad. It would have been easy for the writers to let Victor's girlfriend be scared to death about what has become of her boyfriend and thus confirming Clark's worst fears. But they didn't do that. It also wouldn't be plausible anymore. In a straight timeline it never happened but Clark knows now how Lana would react if she'd ever find out, they can't use that anymore as a reason for not telling her.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 5

Hypnotic

Synopsis: A girl hypnotizes Clark and he subsequently breaks up with Lana. He (unwillingly) reveals all his abilities to her and does whatever she wants. What he doesn't know is, that she was hired by Lex, but luckily for Clark she double-crosses Lex and doesn't expose him to Lex but instead tries to kill him (Lex). But Lex has other things on his mind, too. He's located Milton Fine in Honduras and he believes that Milton is a government agent.

My Opinion: Spike Milton is a hard-to-kill kind of guy. It's good that he's back, that means that the Krypton arc is back in the game.
I am sorry and relieved at the same time that the relation of Lana and Clark is over. Sorry for obvious reasons and relieved because that entire hide-and-seek was getting tiresome. Of course it won't completely stop but the amount of lies can go down to normal Clark-level.

Void

Synopsis: With the help of a Kryptonite drug, Lana dies and comes back from the dead. But while she's dead she can talk to her parents. The problem is that one can only die so many times before one stays that way. Both Clark and Lex try to help her and get killed in the process.

My Opinion: This is my third attempt to write this paragraph. I don't know why, but somehow it didn't felt right. I've never been religious, yet I've never had any problem with the concept of an afterlife in a fantasy show. Xena has been to several places for the dead (the Elysian Fields, Tartaros, the Amazon afterworld), Buffy was in Heaven and there were several hell dimensions and still I didn't like the idea that Clark could talk to his dead father and that he could give his son a warning. Sorry, I can't really explain why, but that's how I feel.

Fragile

Synopsis: Maddie is the foster daughter of Martha's chief of staff. Then her foster mother gets killed and she lives at the Kents's until new foster parents can be found. But Maddie is special, she can control glass with her mind. Has she killed her foster mother?

My Opinion: The actress of Maddie (Emily Hirst) strongly reminded me of Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) in the first Harry Potter movie. I also found it interesting how they managed to make her the prime suspect just to reveal that her father (Callum Keith Rennie, Leoben in Battlestar Galactica) has the same abilities. The concept of second generation meteor freaks has been mentioned before but it was still interesting.

Mercy

Synopsis: Lionel nearly gets killed when his limo is rammed by a train. But this was no accident, someone has made a game out of the attempts to kill Lionel. But soon it's not only Lionel's life that is endangered, it's Martha's as well.

My Opinion: Everytime I watch that episode, I am sure that Ian Tracey has had a previous appearance on the show, that I've seen him there before. But IMDb tells me, that he hasn't.
While I found the tasks to be interesting I nonetheless recognized the obvious television/movies errors, such as a train that doesn't even stop after it has hit a car or Clark catching a falling elevator without hurting the occupants, even though they've just fallen several hundred feets.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 6

Fade

Synopsis: Clark saves a man who was about to be hit by a car. Soon after this man - Graham - kills a key witness in an important trial. Then he tries to thank Clark for saving his life by giving him expensive gifts. Clark - who has now idea what Graham has done - can't accept these gift but Graham wants to repay his debt and he believes that killing Lex would achieve exactly that.

My Opinion: This was a good episode to set Clark's moral compass straight. Ok, there was nothing wrong about it, but it ensured the viewer about the things Clark would or wouldn't do. And I liked the comparison to medical personnel or firefighters. Clark wouldn't be Clark if he let someone die just because he might turn out to be a bad person. That's reassuring.

Oracle

Synopsis: Jonathan appears to Clark and demands of him to kill Lionel because Lionel puts the entire planet at risk. Meanwhile Lex has managed to create the most powerful vaccine in the world. With it the human body can withstand practically everything. But he has underestimated Milton Fine, who has double-crossed him. Lex created the vaccine without the knowledge of Fine - or at least he thought so. He did exactly what Milton wanted.

My Opinion: Great opening to the season finale. Lex was played perfectly by Fine just as Clark was earlier this season. Fine is truly worthy of the name Brainiac (=Brain InterActive Construct).

Vessel

Synopsis: "Zod is coming!" When Fine was impersonating Jonathan he demanded that Clark would kill Lionel. But now Jor-El (the real one) is demanding that Clark would have to kill the "Vessel of Zod" and that vessel is Lex. But does Clark really have the guts to kill anyone? If not, the world as we know it will come to an end.

My Opinion: Great finale. Lionel said that sometimes a price has to be paid to achieve a greater good, but I say it again, then it wouldn't be Clark if he would pay that price. But one also has to admit, that everytime he defies his father, a lot of people get hurt in the process. One day it has to boil down to a choice of idealism versus pragmatism. Of course I have to continue watching at once.

The Season - My Opinion: For the characters this might have been a bad season, with Jonathan's death, Lana's and Clark's break-up and so on. From a story-telling POV I liked it much better than the previous one. The preparation for Zod's arrival over the course of the season was much more believable than that entire witch arc and Brainiac was an interesting opponent. And while I might not like the road Lana is going down, I still like it that her character has finally left the "helpless girl phase". Of course there will always be opportunities for Clark to save her, but he saves everybody once in a while.

[DJ Doena]

Season 6

Disc 1

Zod

Synopsis: By destroying Brainiac with the kryptonian knife, Clark opened the portal for Zod. Zod has taken over Lex's body and is now trying to conquer the world by removing its technology. And there's no one who can stop him, because Clark was banished to the Phantom Zone.

My Opinion: This was a great conclusion to the cliffhanger, although once again it could have lasted longer. I see the problem that if Clark would have remained longer in the Phantom Zone, Zod would have caused more havoc and probably more people would have seen him, which would be devastating for Lex. But still, two or three episodes would have been cool.
I find it funny that Aaron Ashmore is playing Jimmy Olsen, while his identical twin brother Shawn has been a recurring FotW in the early seasons, yet no one seems to see the resemblance.

Sneeze

Synopsis: Clark vigorously tries to repair the damage that has been caused by Zod. But even he gets exhausted at one point and his immune system was weakened due to his stay in the Phantom Zone. Clark has catched the "common" cold and now sneezes barn doors halfway across the county.
Meanhwile Lex gets abducted because some people want to find out how he has done the things he has done while he was being possessed by Zod.

My Opinion: They skipped that episode in the last season, probably because there aren't many abilities left and also probably because he has been human during a few episodes. When I first watched this episode I thought Oliver Queen would just be another adversary of Lex's, just as Victoria Hardwick or Jason Teague. How wrong I was.

BTW: When Justin Hartley (Oliver) smiles, don't you think that he has a striking resemblance to the young Ben Affleck?

Wither

Synopsis: Someone - or something - is killing a young woman near a make-out-zone and her friend has mysteriously vanished.  But then is found, but he dies at the hospital because a plant is growing out of his stomach. And this plant can hurt even Clark.

My Opinion: Instead of FotWs we will see beings from the Phantom Zone in this season. While I found this episode to be entertaining, I still think that Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan was the more interesting plant.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 2

Arrow

Synopsis: During a charity event someone steals a very expensive necklace from Martha. Lionel borrowed it to her for that event and Clark wants to prevent that his family ows him anything. Thus he goes on the hunt for this mysterious thief who was dubbed "Green Arrow Bandit" by Lois. But this Green Arrow is no ordinary thief.

My Opinion: I really liked that episode and I find it always funny when someone gets the impression that Clark and Lois might be an item. I also liked the gadgets that the Oliver possesses. He should team up with Bruce Wayne. But I also liked to see that even Clark admits that the world isn't black/white or right/wrong at all times.

Reunion

Synopsis: As it turns out, Lex and Oliver have been together at the same boarding school and Oliver was bullying Lex who in turn had only one friend. Now ten years later they meet there again as alumni. But then a freak accident happens and kills one of Oliver's old friends. And then the next one dies. And then Lex nearly gets killed. It seems that someone wants to settle a score.

My Opinion: It's interesting to see how such a terrible event change a person's personality - or how it didn't. I am asking myself: How much truth was in Lex's words when he said he wanted to found a company with Duncan, when he would betray him the moment would get the chance. Back then Lex decided to switch his allegiance away from his friend towards power. From that perspective I don't understand why he ever wanted to be friends with Clark's.

Fallout

Synopsis: A Phantom Zone being (a "Zoner") is on its way to Smallville, to kill Kal-El. But for this he needs to feed on radioactive energy - or the energy core Zod has used and which is now in Lex's possession. But Clark doesn't have to face this enemy alone. Raya is there to help him. But Raya can do even more. She can tell him about his father and his father's goals and about the Fortress - unless both get killed by the Zoner.

My Opinion: Once again Clark has lost a female friend who knew of his secret. It seems that it isn't meant to be. Somehow I like it that Lana questions each and every visit of Clark's. It sharpens her senses and she will need them for Lex. And it also keeps them both apart. This way Clark can focus more on the important issues.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 3

Rage

Synopsis: Oliver/Green Arrow gets shot but miraculously heals without even having a scar. Yet he seems different, he is uncaring and aggressive when Clark tries to talk to him. Clark tries to warn Lois that something might be wrong, but she has to learn that first-hand when she encounters the Green Arrow while he is "trying to rob" Oliver.

My Opinion: I think he got a bit too easy out of his addiction but maybe it wears of that easily. After all, it was never intended to function as a addictive drug. But I am also glad that Oliver learned something from Clark.

Static

Synopsis: Lex has been abducted by a man who claims to be a victim of Lex's experiments. Lana, Chloe and Jimmy try to find and rescue him. But Clark must immediately go to Seattle where another Zoner is brutally killing people.

My Opinion: I fully support Clark's decision. Even if it weren't Lex's own doing that has brought this upon him, it still would be a numbers game. And even worse, the Zoners are on Earth because Clark has brought them here. It's his responsibility to get rid of them again. Additionally it was Lex's doing and he can't be expecting to be rescued everytime he screws up. Unfortunately this event will harden his opinion on meteor freaks.

Subterranean

Synopsis: The owner of a neighouring farm has a special ability that allows him to keep his "unregistered workers" under control. If they try to escape they die. But one day a boy actually can escape and he runs directly into Clark.

My Opinion: When I first started to watch movies and shows in english I stumbled across it: "He's an alien.". What? For me, an alien would be someone like E.T. or Kal-El or the Alien alien. But how can a Mexican be an alien?
This was an usual FotW episode and it wasn't that interesting.

Hydro

Synopsis: Lana and Chloe have a very private conversation about Lana not being sure about her feelings towards Clark and Lex. How could this leak and being printed on the gossip section of the "Daily Planet"? And the next headline will be: "Clark Kent: farm boy or alien?".
Meanwhile Lois thinks that she has figured out that Oliver and the Green Arrow are the same person. Clark helps Oliver to prove her wrong.

My Opinion: This was a great episode. I liked both parts and I can understand that Chloe is frustrated that she is supposed to keep all those secrets and then the people are angry with her because of it. But the conversation in the "Talon" between Lois, Chloe and Clark have more than compensated for this. She had real fun with them.
Although Lana always suspected something now there's no doubt whatsoever anymore that Clark has a secret. Now she will begin to dig real deep. I like that.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 4

Justice

Synopsis: Bart Allen is back in town. But it isn't a social visit he paying Smallville and Clark. He is working for Oliver/Green Arrow and they are investigating Lex's 33.1 project. And Bart isn't the only one. In the end they have to fight side by side: Oliver "Green Arrow", Bart "Impulse", A.C. "Aquaman", Victor "Cyborg" and Clark "Boy Scout".

My Opinion: I really liked to see them again and together. It was sad though to hear that it didn't work out with Victor and his girlfriend (remember, what I said about them?) and that Oliver is leaving Smallville. He was a great character and I'd like to see him again.

Labyrinth

Synopsis: Clark is attacked by something and awakes in a mental institution. There they want to make him believe that he is perfectly normal - just a bit schizophrenic. He's just Clark Kent, not Kal-El and he's definitively not from Krypton. Only Chloe believes in him - until she gets killed.

My Opinion: The "everything was an illusion" episode that's quite common among sci-fi and fantasy series. I liked it because it forced Clark to stop kidding himself and it showed once again that he would nearly everything give up for Lana - but only nearly everything.

Crimson

Synopsis: A lipstick composed of red Kryptonite and some herbal oils makes Lois fall in love with Clark. Chloe finds that terribly funny until Lois actually kisses Clark and thus "infects" him with red K. Lex and Lana couldn't have chosen a worse day to rehearse the wedding dinner.

My Opinion: This episode was funny and sad at the same time. They way Lois behaved was hilarious and again I liked the hints that they may become an item. The part of Clark being unleashed was of course sad. In opposition to previous "red K trips" this was not funny. It showed what Clark had to digest over the last months and still there's nothing he can do about it.
BTW: No way in hell would Lex be able to deform a chisel like that. After all, it's a tool that is built to withstand brute force.

Trespass

Synopsis: Lana has secured the chisel and is wondering about it when she notices that someone is watching her. That person has seen her with the chisel and that means she can't confide in Lex. First she hides out at Chloe's, later at the Kents's farm. But her stalker is following her and threatens to kill her.

My Opinion: Could he or couldn't he catch the guy, too? Did he let him die or was he simply too late to save them both? There are people on the internet that claim that he let the guy die - but we haven't seen what really has happened. The writers decided to not to show it to us. Thus, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
And even if. This Clark Kent isn't the regular Superman guy. Superman is a boy scout, he's perfect. This Clark is far from perfect and he himself admits that freely. Additionally, perfect is boring.